


Perfect Grace

by dawnishere



Series: Heith Week 2k17 (July) [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bigotry & Prejudice, Domestic Fluff, Family, Light Angst, M/M, The Author Knows Nothing About Law
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnishere/pseuds/dawnishere
Summary: Raising a family in Texas as two men of color can be hard, but Hunk and Keith do their best.Heith Week Day 5:Family/Friends





	Perfect Grace

**Author's Note:**

> Major disclaimer: I know nothing about law, beyond the usual selection of cop/law/crime shows, so don't take this as any more than fictional handwaving. 
> 
> Further: I'm operating on the assumption that Keith is Korean so don't @me
> 
> This is a continuation of a scene in [Into the Blue Again](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11544609) but you don't necessarily have to read it to understand what's going on here. You'll only be marginally confused for the first paragraph or so but it straightens out fast. 
> 
> I'm mad late, but I'm reaching the apathy end of my emotional spectrum so here you go. Enjoy!

“-you." 

Keith blinked. He was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair, with the equally discomforting suspicion he was missing a good chunk of his memory. In front of him, an unfamiliar woman sat at the heavy, wooden desk with her hands folded in front of her, an expectant look on her wrinkled face. He attempted to clear his throat. "Could you repeat that, please?"

"I said, Mr. Kogane, your daughter was caught threatening a fellow student with a knife. When she said she was sure her father would let her bring one, we were forced to intervene. That's why I called you." The woman looked indignant and waited for him to say something.

Keith looked discreetly at the items on the lady's desk for a name tag of any sort. He was in luck. At the corner of her desk was a name placard with Tammy Schultz embossed in brass lettering. "Ms. Schultz-" he began.

"Mrs-" she corrected tersely.

"Sorry, Mrs. Schultz. With all due respect, my daughter isn't perfect, but she doesn't usually cause trouble like this." He hoped. Knowing his luck, his kid would probably be as irreverent of authority as he was. "I'm sure that kid must have said something to provoke her." 

"Are you suggesting a child could do anything to bring that kind of threat upon himself?" Schultz pierced him with her gaze. Keith refused to shrink.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "I'm merely suggesting that something must have happened for things to escalate like this. Surely you know what he said to her before she threatened him."

"Even so, we have a zero-tolerance policy and--"

"So the kid did say something," he muttered. 

"He said--" the woman looked embarrassed, a spotchy flush coloring her cheeks. "He said he hoped her parents got deported, because that's what ought to happen to “freakish illegals” like her."

Keith was preternaturally calm. "And I assume you've punished the boy accordingly." Under the table, his fist clenched and he had to put into practice every calming technique he knew to unfurl it.

If possible, she looked even more embarrassed. "We saw fit to deal with Tabitha's behavior first," she said defensively. "We called you in today to discuss her punishment."

"I suggest you do nothing, unless you want a discrimination lawsuit brought up against everyone involved," Keith said finally. "I'll be withdrawing her from the school very soon anyway."

"Mr. Kogane, you can't honestly expect us to--"

"No, I expect you'll do whatever you want, as you have been doing while my daughter endured a hostile and potentially unsafe learning environment. I'm just telling you what I intend to do." He bid Mrs. Schultz a good afternoon and quickly left. Outside the principal's office, Tabitha sat in a row of chairs lining the wall, her arms crossed. Her eyes were dry, but bloodshot. 

He took the chair next to her and wrapped his arm around her smaller shoulders. "Did he really say that to you?"

Tabitha sniffled and rasped a quiet affirmative. "Are you mad at me?" She turned wide brown eyes on him and he thought of how much she looked like Hunk.

"No," he admitted slowly. He knew he ought to be angrier, but he felt strangely detached. "But I am disappointed in you." She deflated and Keith sighed a little helplessly. Hunk had always been better at disciplining the kids. "You should know better than to threaten people like that, even when they say awful things. People will take any excuse to vilify you and you can’t hand them the ammunition." He winced. Slightly bad choice of words, there.

"I won't do it again." Tabitha said begrudgingly.

"You're damn right you won't. And I'm finally pulling you out of this school. I should have known better than to send you to my alma mater of all places." He shuddered and pulled her up with him when he stood.

"Hey, Dad, I'm glad they called you instead of Papa." Tabitha said once they were in the car and headed home. 

Keith fiddled with the radio before just turning it off. "Me too. You know how protective he can be," he said fondly. "He probably would've threatened more than a lawsuit."

Tabitha gave him a surprised yet impressed look. "You're threatened her with a lawsuit?"

"...It was the only card I had to play," he admitted reluctantly. Tabitha laughed. "Hey, just because you've avoided the school's punishment doesn't mean you're outta the woods, kid." He waved off his daughter's protests and added, "You're grounded for the next three weeks." The punishment seemed a bit lax, but Keith felt over his head. He wasn’t usually the one who disciplined the kid and he wasn’t sure what was the way to go. 

"Two weeks and I'll do the gardening for the next three days." 

"Nice try, but no. Three weeks and if your Papa asks your help with the garden, you'll do as he says."

"I should have known better than to try to negotiate with a lawyer," Tabitha grumbled as she glared out the window for the rest of the drive home. 

Keith pulled into the driveway of a modest two-story colonial-style home and parked behind a recently painted station wagon. The grass on the lawn looked a little overgrown, and he made a mental note to mow it that weekend. Tabitha shut the passenger door with a near slam and ran off to the front door before he could scold her. He walked up to the house at his own pace, taking a moment to admire the flower bushes that lined the walkway. 

He took off his shoes once inside and was slammed with the scent of something delicious and warm. Was Hunk home early? Keith took in a deep breath and padded on socked feet into the kitchen. As he'd predicted, Hunk stood in front of the stove, stirring a pot with his back to the doorway. He hadn't changed out of his work clothes yet. Instead of donning an apron like usual, he'd rolled up the sleeves of his button-down and Keith took a moment to admire his husband's forearms as he reached for things in the cabinet above his head. 

"Hey," he greeted softly, not taking a bit of joy (none at all, nope) at the way Hunk startled and nearly dropped his wooden spoon. “Thanks for cooking dinner tonight. I know it was my turn.”

"Keith," he breathed, turning around with a warm look on his face. Keith wondered how lucky he'd been, how much good karma he must have accumulated, to be with a man who responded with the same intensity every time he saw him. He didn't deserve it in the least, but damn if he wouldn't spend the rest of his life thankful for it.

"I'm home," he said unnecessarily, stepping into Hunk’s personal space to give him a languid kiss. Hunk returned it eagerly but pulled away first.

"What did you do?" He asked with a small laugh. 

Keith played at indignation. "What makes you think I did something? I can't just kiss my husband lovingly because I want to?" He pouted and leaned further into Hunk, but the broader man sidestepped him with ease.

"It has to be something pretty bad then if you're home early and if you're avoiding the question," Hunk posited, hand on his chin in thought. 

Keith sighed. "You got me."

"I knew it!" Hunk was nearly irritatingly triumphant as he danced a little. "What happened?" He asked once he'd finished. Despite his earlier glee, he seemed to sober in relation to the seriousness of the situation. 

"The school called me today, because Tabitha threatened someone with a knife."

"Holy shit," Hunk said, surprised. He'd clearly been expecting something else. "Did she actually bring a knife? I hate to say I told you so but I always tell you to put your knives in a safe, we have kids and they could hurt themselves or worse. I can't believe--" 

"Hunk.” Keith interrupted brusquely. Hunk snapped his mouth closed, his lips forming a thin line. “No, she didn't actually bring a knife, thank God because that would’ve made the situation ten times worse." He dragged a hand down his face at the memory. "He said some racist shit to her, and the admin, predictably, focused on her threat, which I get--don't get me wrong--"

"But it doesn't mean it's all right," Hunk finished with a knowing look. He turned back to the pot on the stove, which had nearly boiled over due to his inattention. "What'd you do when they told you?"

Keith draped himself over Hunk’s shoulder, looking at the stove top and trying to avoid the query with some soft kisses to his neck. The back of Hunk's head was freshly shaved and he reveled a moment in the shorter hairs.

"Keith." He pouted against Hunk’s neck.

"I may have threatened the principal with a lawsuit..." He said very quietly, bracing himself for Hunk’s response.

Hunk laughed. Cackled, even. His sides positively quaked with his amusement and when his laughter showed no signs of letting up, Keith tried his best to suppress a scowl. 

“Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Hunk wheezed. “You have the worst habit of jumping the gun and I’ve known it since we’ve met.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Keith said, defensive. His hackles rose, barely stopping himself from shoving his nose into Hunk’s space. Intimidation wouldn’t work here, and Hunk would only get upset. It was difficult. Years of defensive, bad habits don’t just disappear.

“Keith,” Hunk said, a note of disappointment in his tone. “You can’t just threaten people with lawsuits and expect your problems to disappear.”

“Don’t you think I realize that?” Keith yelled, shrinking back in shame when he saw Hunk’s shoulders stiffen. “I’m—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

“Don’t.” Hunk was curt. “Keith.” He sighed deeply and tried another tactic. “Think about what you would have done if someone had threatened Tabby with a knife. _You_ would have sued. And I’m not sure how good a defense ‘he made a discriminatory statement’ is, you know? You just should have thought of the consequences.” 

He hated it, but he knew Hunk was right. “I’m sorry,” he scrutinized the marble tiles under their feet, avoiding Hunk’s gaze. “I was angry. I wasn’t thinking.” He wasn’t just talking about the incident at the school.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to do about it now, I think, unless you wanna drive back to the school and apologize,” Hunk allowed a small smirk. 

“I guess now’s a bad time to tell you I also said I was transferring Tabby to a different school.”

“Now was definitely a bad time to tell me that, but later would have been worse.” 

“Also, I grounded her for three weeks.” Keith looked at Hunk coolly, challenging him to contradict his decision. 

“Finally, a good decision today!” Hunk lifted his hands to the ceiling in faux reverence. “It seems a pretty lax punishment considering the situation.”

Keith took a calming breath. He was just on edge from the entire incident; it wasn’t Hunk’s fault that everything rang like a barb. “I thought so too, but I didn’t really know what else to do. You’re the one who usually doles out the discipline in this house.” 

Hunk paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. “I think you did well, considering the circumstances.” Keith breathed a sigh of relief. “Here, grab the oven mitts for a moment, I need you to take the rolls out of the oven.” He stepped away from the stove toward the kitchen sink, turning on the faucet and rinsing his hands off. Keith searched the countertop for the mitts and, sliding them on, carefully grabbed the tray of dinner rolls. The hot metal felt overwarm, despite the mitts. 

“Hey, I think we need new mitts. These are feeling a little thin.” Keith called over his shoulder as he set the tray on some potholders. 

“Add it to the list,” Hunk replied distractedly. He did as he’d asked, grabbing a pen from a side drawer and noting it on the pad stuck to the fridge. Keith threw the pen back in the open drawer and shut it without care. The [_nihari_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihari) on the stove was bubbling away and he took a deep whiff as he walked past it. The rolls were still steaming. He nearly burned himself trying to rip off a piece of one.

He jerked his hand back and blew on his fingers. “When did you even have time to make all this?” He turned to look at Hunk, who’d grabbed the accoutrements for a salad and began chopping.

Without looking up, Hunk said, “I got home from the firm earlier than usual today after a meeting with my boss. Then I went grocery shopping after I picked up Rafa from school. You know how cooking calms me down sometimes so I thought I’d relieve you of dinner-making duty today.” 

Keith felt ashamed. He’d been so occupied with Tabitha and the school that he’d completely neglected to ask about Hunk’s work day. Or about their other child. “How’d it go?” he wondered, leaning his back on the counter near Hunk. “The meeting, I mean.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.” 

“Is it…bad?” Keith queried haltingly. Hunk looked up from his lettuce and set down his knife. He wiped his hands on a towel and the lawyer held his breath in anticipation. 

“It’s not bad, per se?” Hunk said, looking nervous. “It might even be—good, depending on how you look at it?”

“Are you being…fired?” 

Hunk jumped to reassure him. “No. No! Oh god, no. I was worried about that too. But no; we just got a huge account and my boss wants to transfer me to our branch in Arizona. That’s where the company’s main office is. They want me to work on location.” He took a breath, looking at Keith for approval. “It’s a job offer. In fact,” he looked out of the kitchen window, chewing on his bottom lip for half a second anxiously. “The company’s a government contractor. I don’t know if I’m supposed to know this but the plans are for a flight school of some kind, out in the desert.”

Keith was thrown. “That’s huge,” He breathed, his eyes wide. “Are you going to take it?” It was a great opportunity. With it came the possibility of promotion and Keith knew Hunk was never as attached to Texas as he’d been. But what would he do? Would he go with him, if Hunk took the job? He had no idea if he even had any connections in Arizona. He’d have to start looking. There were a lot of things to consider. 

“There’s a lot of things to consider,” Hunk mumbled instead of answering the question outright. Keith was heartened to see they were on the same page again, despite their earlier friction. “We’d have to look at houses and schools for the kids and then there’s job-searching on your end. Unless you want to stay in Texas! I should’ve asked that first. I could probably go alone but I don’t know how long the contract is for and I don’t just want to leave you alone for an indefinite amount of time.” Keith rubbed as much of his shoulder as he could reach and Hunk let out a breath. “There’re a lot of moving parts.”

“First of all, of course we’re all going with you,” Keith said assuredly. He suddenly felt unsteady and uncertain. “Unless…you think it’d be easier if you went alone.” 

“Of course, I want you and the kids the come with me,” Hunk took his hands into his own, looking aghast. “That’s not even a question.” Keith was relieved, and squeezed his hands affectionately. “Let’s talk more about this later,” Hunk promised, looking at the time. “Could you grab the rice from the cooker? I have a few side dishes in the fridge I need to grab and then I’ll meet you out in the dining room.” 

“I’m on it,” Keith gave a loose, two-fingered salute. He called the children downstairs to help set the table and spooned the rice into a serving bowl before taking it out of the kitchen. Today had been overwhelming in so many respects. Tabby’s shit and then Hunk’s job offer? He thought idly of the school Hunk spoke about. Flight school seemed like something he’d’ve been interested in, back before he’d gotten his shit together in college, drunk the Kool-Aid and became a yuppie. 

He put it out of his mind soon enough, and helped Rafa set the table. His youngest excitedly described her school day and he asked for details accordingly. Tabitha came downstairs more slowly, shamefaced. She avoided Hunk’s gaze when he asked about her day, but didn’t lie. Despite their problems, Keith wouldn’t give this up for the world. For just a moment, he could pretend the world outside didn’t exist beyond the bubble he and his family had created in their dining room, and he wanted to enjoy it as much as he possibly could.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I've got a lot of thoughts about this particular AU and I'm just itching to talk about it, so feel free to talk with me here or on [tumblr](hunkul3s.tumblr.com)
> 
> This also follows the same headcanons as my other fic, [tap your heels together](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11417913) (gd i hate that title every time i have to type it, it was a Mistake)


End file.
